


won't you tell me your name? (hello, i love you)

by bloodredcherries



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-27 02:50:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 18,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12072084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodredcherries/pseuds/bloodredcherries
Summary: "I'm nothing to her. I'm not her dad, and I'm nothing to her. I'm nothing to either of you.""You're not nothing to us," Quinn whispered. "Finn..." She trailed off. "She misses you."





	1. Chapter 1

_She's walking down the street_   
_Blind to every eye she meets_   
_Do you think you'll be the guy_   
_To make the queen of the angels sigh?_   
  


"She liked that," Finn heard a familiar voice say once they were alone in the Choir Room, and he almost jumped in fright, managing to settle himself down enough to simply gape at the pregnant girl standing in front of him, her hand laid flat to her abdomen.

 

Finn blinked.

  
"Who liked that?" He asked, once he had managed to find his words, trying to wrack his brain for who Quinn could possibly be referring to. It was possible that she was talking about Rachel - his fellow lead singer and supposed girlfriend - but the wistful look on Quinn's face majorly eliminated that as a possibility. 

  
"Who do you think?" His ex-girlfriend asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes, and he simply shrugged, not sure what he was supposed to say. Quinn let out a sigh, and he opened his mouth to defend himself - she knew he wasn't good at guessing games, or critical thinking skills,  given the situation that they'd found themselves in - when the blonde reached over and grabbed his hand, settling it on her bump. "She hasn't stopped moving since you started singing for us." 

  
"Drizzle?" Finn breathed, unable to stop himself from the name leaving his lips, his eyes wide  and his general expression sure to be comical (though Quinn was mercifully eying him with a thoughtful look and not snickering), as he felt insistent thumping from his - no, Finn corrected himself - the baby, beneath his palm. "Why?"

  
"What do you mean, why?" Quinn asked, her tone filled with confusion, and he moved his gaze to her bump, not daring to move his hand. Drizzle had kicked for him Before - back when he was her father, back when he was allowed to love her and Quinn, back when Drizzle was allowed to love him - but it made no sense to him that the baby was kicking for him After. Didn't she hate him now that she knew he was just a stupid idiot who had fallen for the world's dumbest lie? "She recognizes your voice and she misses hearing you sing," the blonde said. "She wanted to say hi."  
  


As if on cue, Drizzle kicked again, rather forcefully.   
  


"I don't get it," Finn said honestly. "Why would she ever want to say hi to me?"  He felt himself droop, sure that voicing his confusion over Drizzle kicking for him would stop the baby from doing so. "I'm nothing to her. I'm not her dad, and I'm nothing to her. I'm nothing to either of you."  
  


"You're not nothing to us," Quinn whispered. "Finn..." She trailed off. "She misses you."   
  


"I'm not allowed to miss her," he mumbled, locking his gaze on the ground, not wanting Quinn to notice he was tearing up. "I know that. She's not mine, so...what is there to miss?"

 


	2. Chapter 2

Finn meant every word of what he had said, but his actions were betraying him as he stood there, hand covering Quinn’s belly, the motions of the baby insistent against his palm. “I don’t know why she still likes me,” he mumbled. “Doesn’t she get it? It was hard enough on me to love her when she wasn’t ours because you wanted to give her away. Now she’s not ever going to be mine, even if you decide to keep her.”

Stupid Drizzle, he thought to himself. Stupid baby that wasn’t even his that he had stupidly fallen in love with. And where the hell did Quinn get off telling him BS about Drizzle missing him? Why would Drizzle miss a stupid moron like him? She was perfect and he was just Finn. 

“Because she knows you care about her,” the blonde offered. “I don’t think it matters to her who is or isn’t her father.” She pursed her lips. “For what it’s worth, she probably still thinks it’s you.”

“What?” Finn asked. “What about…?” He trailed off, not wanting to say the name. Quinn snorted in response.

“Puck spends the time he does spend in my presence making jabs about my weight and telling me Super Mario cheat codes,” she said. “Other than that he’s off pool cleaning, not that I have any idea how he makes money off of that in the middle of winter.” Quinn rolled her eyes. “Leaving me alone in the apartment with his mother and sister. They won’t even let me have bacon.”

Finn felt his stomach rumble at the mention of bacon. Bacon was delicious! And it was definitely wrong to deny the baby bacon. 

“You hungry?” He heard himself ask, before he processed that he was asking. 

“What?” Quinn asked.

“Drizzle wants bacon, doesn’t she?” Finn asked. “I don’t mind.” He didn't, at least, not really. 

 

***

 

Quinn had to admit that she was bemused by the turn the day had taken as she sat beside Finn in the cab of his truck, the taller teen more at ease around her than he’d been in weeks, a look of what Quinn could only describe as endearment being directed at her growing belly, where Drizzle was keen to put on a show for Finn. She had been acting on an impulse when she had told him that the baby had woken up during his performance – truthfully Quinn actually found herself missing literally anyone paying attention to her and the baby, no matter how much she tried to protest – and frankly she wouldn’t have blamed Finn for just ignoring her. 

They weren’t his problem anymore.

“You feeling okay?” Finn asked, his voice breaking through Quinn’s feelings of self-hatred. 

“I’m just tired,” she assured him. “She’s getting bigger and I can’t get comfortable at Puck’s…don’t worry about it.”

“I think I’ll always worry about the two of you,” he said. “You…and her. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stop.” She heard him sigh. “You know…never mind,” he whispered.

“What, Finn?” 

“You’ll think it’s stupid,” he said. “I was going to say you could come back.”

Quinn had to admit that she was actually speechless. She gaped at Finn, her eyes as wide as saucers. 

“Why would you want me to?” She asked. “Finn, I lied to you for months,” she iterated. “Why on earth would you want me back in your house?”

“I care about you and Drizzle,” he replied, pulling carefully out of the student parking lot as he did. “She’s a really cool baby,” he declared, and Quinn said nothing as he reached out to squeeze her hand. “She loves the Doors.” Quinn didn’t have the heart to tell Finn that Drizzle just loved the sound of his voice. “She’s amazing.”

“What about Rachel?” Quinn asked. She really didn’t think she could deal with being around the brunette constantly, actual bed to sleep in or not. 

“What about Rachel?” He asked. “It would really piss her off, I bet,” he mused.

“That’s my point,” Quinn elaborated. “She’s your girlfriend.”


	3. Chapter 3

"Yeah," Finn agreed, though with reluctance in his tone. It was true, Rachel Berry _was_ his girlfriend, not that he remembered asking her out really or - you know - making an actual overture towards breaking up with Quinn, despite his reaction in the Choir Room. "Did we ever actually break up?" Finn didn't mean to sound like offensive towards Quinn, he was really actually confused,  and he hoped that Quinn would recognize that and _not_ kill him for asking that question. 

 

"Why does that matter?" Quinn asked, after a moment of silence where Finn contemplated whether he should be writing out a will on the back of the McDonalds bag he had crumpled up in the ashtray of the truck. "I lied to you, and you had every right to do what you did."

 

"She made us matching cat calendars," he muttered. "She photoshopped our faces on to photos of cats." 

 

Beside him, he heard the sound of Quinn's quiet, soft, laughter. Even if it was at his expense, it was good to hear it again. It had been a long time. 

 

"Do you have it with you?" She asked, and he let out a heavy sigh, gesturing to the backpack she was resting her feet on. "This I have to see."

 

For a pregnant woman, Quinn Fabray was surprisingly flexible when it came to unearthing things that were sure to cause others humiliation. The cat calendar - the current bane of Finn's existence - was quickly produced, and he bit back a groan when he saw the thoughtful look on Quinn's face grow into first a small smirk and then a wide grin, a twinkle Finn feared appearing in her blue eyes. 

 

"It's not funny," he started to protest. "Quinn, it's not funny."

 

"Drizzle thinks it is," she retorted. 

 

"I miss her," he admitted. "I really loved her. I would have done my best by her."

 

"I know, Finn," she said, much to his shock. "Don't look at me like that. Why do you think I picked you to be her dad?"

 

Finn shrugged. He had asked himself that question so many time since Rachel had told him the truth about the baby's parentage. Since he had come home from school that day to find Quinn's stuff removed from his room, like she had never been there. That had hurt most of all. She had said in the Choir Room that she had wanted to explain - and she had just _left_. 

 

"I don't know," he said after a moment, realizing that Quinn expected an answer. "Because I'm stupid?" 

 

"You're not stupid," she told him. "Because I knew that you would be a good dad. No matter what."

 

 

***

 

 

"Can I ask you something?" Finn asked her, and she nodded, eying him expectantly as she waited for him to continue. "Why did you sleep with him? I would have made it special for you, I would have waited forever for you. I know I have my problem, but I didn't think it was _that_ bad."

 

"He got me drunk," Quinn said, though rather reluctantly, not wanting to cause Finn's anger issues to lead to them running off the road or something. "I was feeling fat that day, and he plied me with wine coolers and I didn't know what he was after and by the time I knew it was done." 

 

"You didn't know he was fucking you?" 

 

She wrinkled her nose at the term Finn used to describe what Puck had done. 

 

"Of course not," she said. "Why does that matter?"

 

"Cause Mom says that you have to like consent and stuff," he said. "Like it doesn't matter what the dude wants...if the woman says no...it means no."

 

She worried her lip. "I didn't get the chance to offer my opinion on the subject," she told him. "Does it really matter? It's done."

 

"Yes it matters!" Finn insisted. "I'm not sayin' you have to press charges or anything, but you and Drizzle shouldn't be like stayin' there or anything. You should be stayin' someplace that you're safe."

 

"You're offering to let me move back in with you?" Quinn said, rather faintly. "After everything?"

 

"I was never going to make you leave," he said. "You were homeless, Quinn, and that was definitely my doing, whether the baby was my doing or not. I was upset but I wasn't going to send you out to the streets."

 

  


	4. Chapter 4

"Why not?" Quinn asked, the confusion in her tone surprising herself. "Finn, I ruined your life," she told him. 

 

"Drizzle never ruined my life," he told her, and she said nothing as he reached over and squeezed her knee. "Q, you know I love her."

 

"Even now?"  Finn nodded, his jaw set, and Quinn let her hand cover his. "I love her too," she admitted, ghosting her hand across her middle. "You called me Q."

 

"Yeah, I know," he murmured, and she could tell he was embarrassed when the tips of his ears turned red. "You hungry?"

 

"I'm always hungry," she said. Drizzle -- Quinn cursed herself inwardly for not being able to not refer to her innocent child as anything but that ridiculous nickname -- had somehow inherited her pseudo-father's appetite. "She's like you."  

 

With that, Quinn fell silent, her hand unconsciously settling itself on her abdomen, the rhythmic thumping of the baby's foot pressing against her skin. Her comment about Drizzle being like Finn had just slipped out -- she hadn't meant to say it at all -- and she was absolutely mortified that she had. 

 

"You okay?" Finn's voice broke the quiet, and Quinn looked over at him, managing a nod. "You sure?" He reached over and covered her hand with his, the action warming her heart. "Drizzy, are you being good to your mom?"

 

"You're not mad?" 

 

"Why would I be mad?" Finn asked, and Quinn sensed by his confused tone that he wasn't joking. "Look...you know I love her. I really did try to stop. I cried so hard...I would do anything for her to be mine."

 

"You cried?" She repeated, confused. He nodded, his eyes trained carefully on the road. 

 

"Yeah."

 

 

***

 

 

They'd ended up at a little diner about an hour away from Lima, not that Finn had driven that far on purpose, but that was where they'd happened upon the restaurant. Quinn had fallen asleep partway through their drive -- though not until after Finn had humiliated himself by admitting that he'd cried over Drizzle -- and he hadn't been in a hurry to wake her up. His mom had told him that pregnant chicks needed their rest, cause the baby was growing or something. Okay. So Carole hadn't said 'chicks'. But the message had been received. 

 

Quinn might have been sleeping, but, much to Finn's amusement, Drizzle definitely was not. 

 

It was _so cool_ , feeling Drizzle kick, he'd decided. The baby had been too little to kick before _it_ had happened, and Finn had resigned himself to never being able to feel the baby kick, like, ever. He was afraid that Puck would clock him, and to be honest with himself, he was pretty sure that if he had been forced to ask he would have actually cried in _front_ of Quinn. And Finn was not about to start doing that. 

 

But Drizzle seemed to _like_ him, and her continued motions against his palm filled him with a sort of pride. 

 

"I like you too, D," he whispered. He didn't want Quinn to wake up over something so stupid. "I'm glad you liked that song," he added. He cleared his throat. "Maybe I'll sing you your song again someday."

 

He sighed. It just wasn't fair. 

 

He _could have_ been a good father to Drizzle. He certainly would have been a better father than Puck, who went around sleeping with cougars for money an' like callin' Quinn _fat_ an' stuff. 

 

Which she _wasn't_. Sure, she was a _little_ heavier than she was before, but like the baby was growin' and stuff and Finn _knew_ that it was important for Drizzle to be healthy and grow. 

 

"You can sing to her," Quinn said, stifling a yawn. "She likes the attention."

 

"I just like her," he said. He unbuckled his seat belt and leaned over to press a kiss on Quinn's forehead. "Maybe like you too."


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure, Finn?" Her tone was hesitant. Quinn believed that Finn loved the baby wholeheartedly, but she didn't understand why he would ever love her. Not after what she'd done. "It would be easier with Rachel," she pointed out. Not that Quinn entirely believed that, but Finn probably did. 

 

"She wants more than I do," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Rachel dreams big, she _wants_ to leave here, it would _kill_ her to be stuck in Ohio her entire life."

 

"I'm just her high school boyfriend that wouldn't last her first semester at her fancy Broadway class school." He rolled his eyes. "I don't want to move to New York. And we all know she's heading there. I just want a house and a good job and a family to come home to. And I could have had that."

 

She blinked. 

 

"With me?" 

 

"Of course with you," he breathed. She let him squeeze her hands. "We're already havin' a baby. And I know she's not like really really mine, but she doesn't know. You yourself said she probably thinks I'm her dad."

 

As if to prove Finn's point, Drizzle began to squirm around, and Quinn gave Finn a sad smile, shaking her head. 

 

"You're going to have to tell her," she pointed out, reaching up and running a hand through his hair. "It would be mean to screw anyone along, even her."

 

"I'll text her r-"

 

"In _person_ ," Quinn interjected softly. "It's better that way." 

 

 

***

 

 

Rachel had been staring at him for several minutes now, and her look of shock would have unnerved Finn if it hadn't seemed so practiced. Honestly, Finn thought to himself, there was nothing particularly _surprising_ about what he had said to her. It had only been the truth. Finn wasn't a particularly good liar, anyways, and...well...

 

"You are unbelievable," her voice was like a hiss, and he forced himself to affect a look of concern, though he doubted very much it was actually effective. "I can't believe that you would choose _her_ over _me_. After what she did to you!"

 

"Not everything is about you, Rachel," he said. "Sometimes relationships just don't work out."

 

She huffed, loudly, and pointedly. 

 

"So, this is it," she said. "You're just _ditching_ me. For Quinn Fabray! It's not even your kid!"

 

"Don't talk about Drizzle like that!" Finn growled, clenching his fists. He wasn't going to punch Rachel - no matter how mad Finn was at her statement, he didn't hit women - but he wanted to beat the fuck out of the locker she was standing beside. "You have _no right_ to tell me who is or isn't my child." 

 

"And Drizzle isn't an _it_. She's a girl." 

 

 _Duh_ , Finn thought to himself, shaking his head. Drizzle was definitely a girl and if she still loved him and thought that he was her dad or whatever then he _wanted_ to be her father. It really sucked not having a dad, a fact that Finn knew firsthand. And he would never want anyone to experience that if he could help it. He knew he could be a good father to Drizzle and he didn't appreciate Rachel screaming at him about it. 

 

"She's _Puck's_ ," she snapped.

 

"Funny," he said, crossing his arms and digging his nails into his palms. "Puck reacted better than you." 

 

Rachel opened her mouth to say something in response, but Finn didn't want to give her the satisfaction. He had known that she wouldn't take breaking up with him well - that had been why Finn had wanted to text her the day before - but he didn't want her to keep running her mouth about the baby. It was like she was purposely trying to hurt him or something. Was she? He didn't know. Rachel confused him like a million billion trillion percent of the time. And it wasn't like Finn wasn't used to being confused, because he was, but she was sort of...different about it. Like, why did she have to talk to him like that? It was out of line. She could be angry at him but he didn't want her to be angry at Drizzle.

 

Finn wasn't that dumb, and he wasn't that naive. He knew that Rachel had liked him, and he knew that Rachel probably only told him about the baby's biological father _because_ she had a crush on him. And he had been cool with that. Or as cool as he could have been. He had been focusing his rage at Puckerman and his feelings of betrayal at Quinn, and Rachel's involvement in the debacle had been pushed aside. He really couldn't focus on many things at once. But now that he was...that totally wasn't cool.

 

"Why did you tell me?" He asked. 

 

"Because you needed to know."

 

"That's bull," he said. "Come on, Rachel. You wouldn't have said shit to Puck if the situation was reversed."

 

"Alright, fine." Her tone was snippy. Finn didn't care. "You deserve better than that."

 

"Better that _what_?" Finn demanded. "Rachel, this is what I want. I _want_ to be a dad to that baby. I _want_ to have a family with Quinn. I really love her. I really love _them._ And I don't need you _berating me_ for loving them."

 

"I was just trying to help y-"

 

"Well, you didn't," he said flatly, his hand clenched into fists. "I really love Drizzle. And I really love Quinn. And I _know_ they're not gonna leave me behind when we graduate. I'm not stupid, Rach. I know that we were never going to be forever."


	6. Chapter 6

"She's in a foul mood," Quinn commented, sinking down in the seat beside Finn in Spanish class. There was no way that she was subjecting him to sitting beside Rachel, as he normally did, with the petite brunette on a Finn-related warpath. 

 

"I don't understand why she'd be upset," Finn mused, and she opened her mouth to gape at him before she realized his gaze was on her (unfortunately growing) bump. "I thought --"

 

"No, not the baby, Finn," she corrected gently, angling her head in the direction of the door to the classroom, where Rachel was gesturing angrily at the two of them and prattling on and on to an unfortunately listening Mr. Schuester. "Rachel."

 

He shrugged. "What do I care?"

 

"I thought --"

 

He shook his head. "She's pissed off because I told her that I would pick being with you and being Drizzle's dad any day over going to New York. And...I kinda feel like she only told me about the truth because she wanted me for herself. Not because she really cared about me."

 

If looks could kill, the gaze that Quinn had leveled at Rachel Berry would have done so. "It's alright, Finn," she whispered softly, inching her chair closer and reaching out for his hand. She squeezed it gently, running her fingers across his knuckles. "We still love you." The pout that had begun to grace Finn's features turned into a soft, gentle, grin, and Quinn beamed at him, leaning forward to brush a kiss to his cheek. 

 

"I love you more," he whispered, and she felt herself redden as his hand ran down her side and settled on her abdomen. "I can't wait to meet her." 

 

They still had several months - thank the Lord - before Finn and Drizzle would be meeting each other, but Quinn had to admit that she was starting to feel excited about the baby, rather than her typical feeling of dread. She had been so terrified before Finn had known the truth that their daughter would come out looking like Puck - and that Finn would figure it out and hate them - that she had been determined to ignore every aspect of pregnancy. The entire ordeal had been an imposition to her, even when it hadn't been for him. While before she would have pushed his hand away and chastised him for calling attention to her _situation_ , she instead allowed her hand to join his. She wondered if Drizzle would kick. The baby was getting more active by the day, it seemed. 

 

"I know you can't," she whispered. "I know." Quinn _did_ know that. That was part of the reason that she had wanted him to be the baby's father from the beginning. 

 


	7. Chapter 7

Carole Hudson was exhausted. It had been a long shift at the hospital -- normally Carole didn't mind the busy pace of the maternity ward, but she was on her final shift of the week and it had seemed to drag on forever and ever -- and Finn had been even more trying to live with in general since he and Quinn had broken up and she had moved out of the house with a whispered apology directed in her direction. It probably wasn't very kind to think of her own child as _trying_ , but, well. Sometimes Finn knew how to get on her last nerve. She hoped that she would be able to have a peaceful afternoon. A cup of tea, a good book, maybe even a nap? Carole could dare to dream. 

 

She turned the key in the lock and opened the front door, noticing that Finn's school things were neatly organized by their home's entrance, rather than strewn all about the hallway like they lived in a barn. That _was_ odd, she thought to herself, hanging up her coat and stifling a yawn as she walked down the hallway, following the hum of the television until it produced her son. 

 

Or rather, much to her disbelief, her son and Quinn Fabray. Quinn seemed to be contently asleep, clad in what Carole recognized as a set of Finn's pajamas that he'd somehow manage to shrink in the dryer. She couldn't help gaping at them. Not that either one noticed. Finn was too focused on the video game he was playing to even notice that she arrived home.

 

She quietly cleared her throat, causing Finn to briefly glance up at her, and offer her a smile. "Hey, Ma. You remember Quinn," he said, and he turned back to his video game, as if he had said something along the lines of Mom I ordered a pizza and not Mom my ex-girlfriend is sleeping on my lap. _Pregnant_ ex-girlfriend, Carole's inner voice reminded her, and she forced herself to remain calm. 

 

"Of course I remember Quinn," she said, trying very hard to keep the exasperated tone out of her voice. "What is she doing here?"

 

"Taking a nap," he supplied, as if the question was the dumbest thing she could have possibly asked. "I think she's tired, cause of Drizzle an' all." She tried to process the information, her ability to do so hindered by Finn pausing his game and tugging Quinn closer to him. "Probably because she's been sleeping on Puck's couch."

 

"She's been _what_?" Carole queried, hands on her hips. Quinn stirred and he gave her a reproachful look, which she couldn't even blame him for when she processed what he was telling her. "Sorry." 

 

"We worked it out," he said, and she watched as he smoothed out the younger woman's hair, unable to not see the look of contentment on both parties faces. Carole was still appalled by what Finn had said about Quinn's sleeping arrangements at the Puckermans'. She could believe that Noah would let Quinn sleep on the couch -- Carole had never had that high an opinion on him to begin with -- but she was absolutely appalled at Ruth. "An' I told Q that she was welcome to come back here for as long as she wanted...it's my fault she got kicked out anyways." 

 

"You and Quinn are back together?" Carole asked Finn in a quiet tone, mindful of the sleeping girl that was tucked into Christopher's recliner beside her son, noticing how tired Quinn looked. Finn nodded, before tucking his chin on the blonde's head. "What...?" She trailed off, not knowing where to begin. "Well?"

 

He shrugged, sighing quietly, and she watched him press a kiss on the top of Quinn's head. 

 

"I really love her, Mom," he said, after a moment. "I love her and the baby _so much_ , even if she's not biologically mine. And I know that she isn't now. But _Drizzle_ doesn't."

 

Carole watched as the hand that wasn't manipulating the game controller moved from Quinn's shoulder to her abdomen, and she blinked at the scene in front of her in confusion, fairly certain that she had never seen Finn and Quinn interact so intimately _ever_ , not even before Finn had found out the truth about who had gotten the head cheerleader pregnant. And, yet, there they were. It was somewhat confusing to her, but what could she really do? Tell Finn he _couldn't_ step up and be the baby's father if he wanted to? Carole couldn't bring herself to be that cruel. To either of them.

 

"Alright, Finn," she settled on. "This is what you want, right?"

 

"Yeah, Mom," he told her, glancing in her direction for a moment. "It's what I want. It's what we _both_ want," he stressed. "Quinn says that Drizzle loves me!"

 

"Of course she does, sweetheart," Carole said soothingly, crossing the room so she could ruffle his hair. "She knows how lucky she'll be to have you as her dad, in whatever capacity that might be."

 

"I hope that we get to keep her," he murmured. "But it's Quinn's decision."

 

The sleeping teenager snuggled closer to him, sighing quietly, and Carole shrugged, blinking rapidly. 

 

"That's very mature of you, Finn," she assured him, leaning over to press a kiss to his forehead, before doing the same to Quinn. 

 

"I try to be mature and stuff," he murmured. "An' if all I get of being a dad is being here for her and Quinn now...that's enough for me."

 

"I know, Finn. I'm going to get the two of you a blanket, okay? You should sleep too."


	8. Chapter 8

Quinn felt the quickening of the baby against her skin as she reluctantly roused from sleep, the baby’s insistence on kicking her ribs winning out over her desire to continue napping, cuddled up on Finn’s lap. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking blearily at the sight of his palm pressing down against her belly, the warmth of his gesture making her want to cry. But, she didn’t. She didn’t want to distract him from giving Drizzle affection, Lord knew the child needed some. Plus, it was nice. 

 

“Mama’s trying to sleep,” she heard him say in a gentle, husky, tone. “You don’t wanna wake her up.”

 

Drizzle kicked in response. Hard, though at least she was kicking in the direction of Finn’s hand rather than Quinn’s often abused rib cage. 

 

“It’s cool.” He continued, and Quinn remained silent as she felt him rub his hands across her abdomen, Drizzle giving minute little nudges in response. “I mean, you think I’m your dad, Drizzle,” he breathed. “That’s so cool, and I wouldn’t wanna let you down or anything. I’m sorry I did before,” he said. “I can never make up for what I did.” Quinn opened her mouth to speak, but Finn rambled on before she could get a word in edgewise. “I just…I love you so much and my heart was broken. But — Drizzle, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean what I said. I swear I didn’t.”

 

“She knows you didn’t,” Quinn assured him, trying to hide her utter exhaustion. “It…it’s alright, Finn. Drizzle loves you.” She bit back a sigh at her own use of that ridiculous name. “You are her dad. Maybe not biologically, but you’re her dad where it counts.” She reached up and placed her hand on Finn’s heart, hoping he understood. 

 

“It really won’t matter to her?” Finn murmured. She felt him press a kiss to the top of her head. “I just…I still love her, Quinn. I want to be her father, to be the man that you deserve. And I know that she won’r look like me or anything but I still love her. So much.”

 

“That’s all that matters,” she promised. “You…you want to be her dad?” 

 

“Yeah,” Finn whispered. “I think it will be so awesome.”

 

“I mean, like, if we were to keep her — “

 

“You mean it, Quinn?” His tone was like a little kid’s on Christmas morning, and she glanced up at him to see that he was grinning widely at her. “Oh that would be amazing. I just…wanted to be able to write her a letter when we gave her up.”

 

“Why did you think you couldn’t?” Quinn was perplexed. Finn sighed softly, and she felt his fingers curl around her side. 

 

“I dunno,” he said. “I didn’t wanna think about it at first because I thought that I was horrible for wanting to keep Drizzle an’ you were so adamant that it was best for her that I just…why would I write to her if it’s better for her not to be ours? What could I say? You’re amazing Drizzle and I suck so bad as your father that I can’t ever see you?” He cleared his throat. Quinn felt guilty. “And then I knew and no way Quinn. What would that have been? I thought you were mine and now you’ll never get to be?” 

 

“Thought she hated me,” he admitted. “But then you said that she didn’t.”

 

“Of course she doesn’t, Finn,” Quinn said, tucking her head under his arm. “You are the sweetest guy that she’s ever known. That _I’ve_ ever known.” 

 

Finn’s arms tightened around her. 

 

“I love you,” he whispered. “That’s why it hurt so much when I found out that she wasn’t mine. But,” he said. “But it’s gonna be okay. Because I love you. And I love her so much.” He sighed. “And I don’t understand why Puck did that to you. Cos you were perfect Quinn. I would have waited forever.”

 

“I was _drunk_ ,” she insisted. “Finn, I had had two wine coolers.”

 


	9. Chapter 9

“You only had a couple wine coolers?” Finn repeated, as he tried to modulate his breathing while Quinn shifted on his lap. Finn hadn’t thought very much about how Drizzle had been conceived once his delusions about the hot tub had come to fruition, but he didn’t think that one or two wine coolers would make Quinn forget about having sex. “You’re sure?”

 

“Yeah, two wine coolers,” she said. “I don’t remember much of it, I couldn’t give you details…” She trailed off. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Did Puck give you them?” He asked. He ran his hand down the small of her back, trying his hardest to remain calm. It _ was _ possible that he was wrong and that he was overreacting and that Quinn was just a lightweight. But still. He didn’t think it was right to sleep with someone that was shattered. 

 

“You think they were mine?” Quinn asked. “Of course Puck gave them to me. You know I don’t drink.”

 

“Yeah,” he mumbled. “I know. Q…”

 

“Yeah?” Her tone was soft. “What’s wrong?”

 

Finn wrapped his arms around her, cupping her abdomen with his palms, and he nuzzled her neck, not trusting himself to speak. He loved Drizzle so much and he didn’t want to imply she was something horrible. Or caused by something horrible. But at the same time it wasn’t like anything Quinn had said was particularly  _ good _ . He would have rather heard of a mutual act of bad choices than what the wheels in his head were saying was a  _ very bad thing  _ that had happened to Quinn. 

 

“It’s nothing,” Finn lied. “I just...I wish you had said something sooner.” He pressed his fingers down on her bump, feeling Drizzle flutter happily in response. “Cos I love the two of you.”

 

“You’re acting vague,” she informed him. "Even by your standards.”

 

“It’s nothing,” he repeated. “I just...can I knock him out?”

 

“Because he gave me wine coolers?” Her tone was filled with disbelief. “Honestly, Finn?”

 

“It’s more than that,” he said. He rubbed her belly almost reverently. Finn hoped that little Drizzle knew that he would always love her, no matter how she was conceived. Because he would. He couldn’t wait to meet her and hold her close and give her all the love that he had always wanted from a dad as a kid. Drizzle deserved that. Especially since Quinn said that she thought he was her dad. He might have been only 16, but he knew that being her dad - her  _ father  _ \- was the biggest deal in his life. Being a dad  _ wasˆa  _ big deal, wasn’t it? His mom always told him how excited his father had been that he was going to be a dad, and about how much Finn had meant to Christopher, and he had believed her - she had no reason to lie about it even though Finn thought it was so lame how even though his dad had been excited for him the people in Iraq didn’t care. Not that Finn was planning on going to Iraq or anything. Finn wanted to do right by Quinn and their daughter. Even if doing right by Quinn and their daughter meant that he wouldn’t enlist in the Marines like he’d wanted to. He was going to be a dad, and he couldn’t risk jeopardizing that. 

 

The baby seemed to relish his attention, as he felt her wriggle back and forth beneath his palms. “I think he slipped you something.”

 

“What?” Quinn asked. “Why would you think that?”

  
  


***   
  


 

“Just  _ admit it _ ,” Finn demanded, and he slammed his fist on the locker beside Puck’s, wanting more than anything to punch the dick in the face. 

 

Puck shrugged his shoulders. “Dude, what’s the big deal? She wouldn’t put out so I gave her the couch. It’s more than generous.”

 

“Maybe she wouldn’t ‘put out’ because you slipped her something the first time!” Finn exclaimed, not caring that the sight of the school’s quarterback picking up their linebacker by the neck of his t-shirt was causing a small crowd to gather. “Did you, or did you not?”   
  
Puck snorted. “Dude, of course I did. I  _ had  _ to, she kept going on and on about how she was saving herself for marriage, for  _ your marriage _ , and I couldn’t let her get away with thinking sex was lame her whole life.” He rolled his eyes. “Bro, I did it for you. You don’t want some frigid bitch who knows nothing about how it’s done on the ‘big night’. I just broke her in for you.”

 

“She. Didn’t. Need. To. Be. Broken. In.”    
  


All Finn could see was the look on Quinn’s face when she had told him she was pregnant - how absolutely positively terrified that she had looked, even after he had taken her in his arms - and having heard Puck clarify that there had been a real, legitimate, reason behind that look? Well, Finn thought that that deserved more than one punch. He didn’t care that being suspended for fighting was a real possibility - Finn had to make up for not listening to Quinn explain that day in the choir room, he had to make up for his anger at not being Drizzle’s biological father sending her into the house of the person that had  _ roofied  _ her. 

 

“What the hell?” Puck demanded, shoving him back. “I did you a favor.”   
  
“You  _ ruined _ her life!” Finn bellowed, pinning him against the locker, ignoring the sounds of the crowd. “I didn’t need you to do me any ‘favors’, and slipping my  _ girlfriend _ a roofie and sexually assaulting her is not a favor.”

 

“I thought you  _ loved _ Drizzle?” He mocked, and Finn tightened his hold. “You said you wanted to be her  _ daddy _ again, remember? I knew you’d get bored with it.”

 

“This has  _ nothing _ to do with the baby,” he spat. “Don’t you ever call her Drizzle again, you have  _ no right _ .” 

 

“I have  _ every _ right.” Puck was giving him a lecherous smirk. “I’ll take a blood test.”

 

“You’ll pass the blood test because you  _ raped her _ !” Finn exclaimed, shoving Puck against the metal with all his might. “Screw you and your damn blood test.” He slammed his fist into Puck’s face, hearing the crunch of a broken nose. He didn’t much care. As far as Finn was concerned, breaking his nose was the least he could do. “You’re a damn  _ bastard _ , alright?” 

 

“This is  _ outrageous! _ ” The unfortunately all too familiar voice of Coach Sylvester rang through the halls, not that Finn was entirely all that upset with the thought of their fight being broken up. He would take whatever punishment they had to give him if it meant that Coach Sue would avenge Quinn or something. She was scary. It seemed possible. “Both of you to the Principal’s office.”

  
  


***

  
  


Quinn bit back a sigh as she surveyed the scene in front of her. Her boyfriend was sat in one of the chairs in the lobby to Principal Figgins office, resolutely staring ahead, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings, while Coach Sylvester and Principal Figgins (and what appeared to be more than one police officer!) were in the Principal’s office, having a rather spirited discussion with Puck. The fight between Finn Hudson and Noah Puckerman had been the talk of the school, and Finn’s opinion of how her child had been conceived was the newest post on Jacob Ben Israel’s blog. She wanted to be mad at Finn for causing her to be the subject of yet another gossip piece, but, she was tired, and she didn’t have the energy to be angry with him for doing what he felt was right. 

 

She sat down on the chair beside him, placing a hand on his knee, pleasantly surprised when he leaned his head on her shoulder. His hand covered hers, and she winced as she saw his knuckles. Finn let out a quiet, hollow, chuckle.

 

“It’s alright,” he said, his voice soft. “He looks worse than me.”

 

“Are you going to get in trouble?” Quinn asked. She was not happy that Finn had beaten Puck up after she had expressly asked him not to, but she had to admit it was nice to see that Coach and the Principal appeared to be taking whatever Noah had done entirely more seriously than Finn’s decision to engage him in fisticuffs. 

 

“I don’t know,” he said. “Figgins wanted to suspend us both, but then he found out  _ why _ we were fighting. Coach Sylvester was very upset. So they sent me out here and I think they forgot about me. If I do, though, it would have been worth it.”

 

She begged to differ. Finn already needed all of the help he could get in school - she did not want to think of what would happen if he missed days of in-class education. And what would his mother think? Mrs. Hudson had accepted her back into their home, but who knew if that would continue if she had been the cause of Finn’s out-of-school-suspension? Where would she even go?

 

“Why are the police here?” Quinn asked, her exhaustion evident in her tone. “Please tell me they aren’t here because of you.”

 

“Sort of?” Finn offered. Quinn shot him a glare. “I mean, not cos of the fight or anything. But like...cos of me pointing out that how you got pregnant was  _ illegal _ and stuff.” 

 

“Oh.” 

 

“It’s alright, Q,” he murmured. “It happened...but Drizzle is my world. You’re my world. Drizzle and you.” He took her hands in his, pressing them down on her bump. “I love you, Drizzle,” he said. “I love you, and I love your Ma, so much. Nothing can ever change that.” 

 

She sniffled. Finn was being so sweet. 

 

“She’s the lucky one,” she said. “I mean, I’m lucky too. But, Finn...she’s so  _ lucky _ to have you as her father. To have someone in her corner like you. You’re such a good father.”

 

She felt him grin against the nape of her neck. 

 

“I really want to be,” he said, his breath tickling her. “I never really had a dad. But, I really want to be.”

 

“You are.” 

 

It was true. Most guys wouldn’t have bothered to even try to do right by their girlfriend and the baby that wasn’t biologically their child, and Finn had proven to Quinn over the course of the past few days that he wasn’t going to be ‘most guys’. And she appreciated it, more than he knew. She was sure that little Drizzle did as well, at least, as much as the unborn baby could understand. She was sure that the little girl at least knew who Finn was, judging by the fact that she felt her get active whenever she heard Finn’s voice. 

 

“Do you think my dad would be proud of me?” Finn asked, after a moment of silence. Quinn had to admit she was somewhat taken aback by the question. She knew of Finn’s father, of course, but the subject was really one that her boyfriend held close to his chest. He often spoke of the late Christopher Hudson in the context of his military prowess, rather than the emotional aspects of having lost his father before he could remember. Not that Quinn could particularly blame him, given that his choice in best friends was in the Principal’s office, most likely getting arrested for his latest display of illegal behavior. Quinn was doubtful that Puck was capable of a heart-to-heart about Finn’s dead father, even if he had desired one. 

 

“Yeah,” she assured him. “Of course.” 

 

“I miss him,” he said. “I never really knew him, though, so how can I miss him?” 

 

“He’s your dad,” she whispered. 

 

“I don’t want her to have to wonder about who I am, Quinn,” Finn said, taking on a serious tone that Quinn had never heard from her boyfriend before. “I don’t want her to wonder why Dad went away and never came home, or wonder why defending our country was more important to me than being a father to her. I don’t want her to have questions that she can never have answered because you don’t know how to answer them without crying. I don’t want to leave you alone to be a...Gold Star Widow or whatever.” He shrugged. “I wanted to be like him. For like, for like a really really long time. Since as long as I can remember.” He cleared his throat. “But now I think of being like him and being away from you and the baby and I just...I don’t know how he did it.”

 

“I do --”

 

“My mom says that he loved me and that he didn’t want to leave us. I always wonder if that’s really true. I just...I’ll never know, and it kills me.”

 

“It won’t be like that with her,” Quinn found herself promising. “She won’t have to ask those questions because you’ll be there for her, and you won’t leave her, and you will  _ always _ be her father. She will always know what she is to you.” 

 

“Your dad loved you, Finn,” she added. “I know he did. And he...he wouldn’t have based his love for you on you following in his footsteps.”

 

Finn made a content sound as he slipped his arms around her, and she knew that was the right thing to say. 

 

“Mom...she has a new boyfriend.” Finn spoke so quietly, that Quinn almost couldn’t hear him. “She seems really happy but I don’t want her to forget my dad and stuff. I don’t know why she wouldn’t, though. Kind of stupid to expect her to hold onto a memory.”

 

“I don’t think she’s forgetting your father,” she said. “You can love someone and still remember people you’ve lost.” She kissed his cheek. “Do you know who it is?”

 

“Yeah…” Finn did not supply any other information, and Quinn bit back a sigh. 

 

“Do you want to tell me?” She requested. All she needed was some stranger being in Mrs. Hudson’s house while she was blissfully unaware, and  _ that _ being how she met Mrs. Hudson’s boyfriend. Probably during some horribly embarrassing pregnancy thing, knowing her luck. At the very least she would be prepared with the name of this gentleman.

 

“Mr. Hummel,” he muttered. Quinn couldn’t tell if Finn was muttering due to his adrenaline wearing off and no longer masking his pain from where Puck had sucker punched him or if it was of a general distaste for the situation, but she clucked soothingly at him. “Kurt’s dad. They met at some...teacher parent thing I guess.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He doesn’t have any,” Finn supplied. “Remorse for his actions, I mean. He thought what he did was just a joke. I’m like...90% sure it’s illegal.”

“Come again?” Principal Figgins demanded, rewarding Finn Hudson for having the patience and wisdom to wait until Coach Sylvester had finished ranting and raving about...well, Ibqal would be lying if he claimed to know what she was prattling on about, but she was behaving like a rabid dog, or some other unpleasant beast. The smirk on Noah Puckerman’s face was too much for the principal to bear at the moment, and Sue was beyond all sense and reason, so, quite unfortunately for his growing headache, Finn Hudson needed to provide him with a satisfactory reason for the scene in the school hallway.

 

“I told you,” Finn said, not able to look him in the eye, his fingers drumming against his thigh, “I didn’t mean to start fighting,” he mumbled. “I just wanted to find out if it was true.”

 

Puckerman snorted. Sue paced. Hudson appeared to be very interested in the plaque on Ibqal’s desk that properly identified himself as the principal. Figgins let out a sigh. 

 

“What is so funny, Mr. Puckerman?” He asked, his tone wary. “Might I remind you that you are the one of the two of you with a  _ school disciplinary record _ ? I would suggest behaving yourself with the slightest bit of decorum, or, failing that, remorse for your actions!”

 

“He doesn’t have any,” Finn supplied. “Remorse for his actions, I mean. He thought what he did was just a joke. I’m like...90% sure it’s illegal.”

 

Sue continued to pace, while Ibqal prayed that Finn would find his words and a sudden ability to form a sentence sooner rather than later. 

 

“Oh, grow up,” Puckerman interjected. “Seriously? You’re making a big deal out of something so stupid. Quinn will get over it. She has her perfect Hudson hero to play daddy, and neither of you will ever tell little Drizzle the truth about how she was conceived, who her  _ real _ father is.” 

 

Principal Figgins wondered if he should have been listening to Sue’s verbal diatribe when she had thrown the two football players into his office, interrupting his attempts to avoid the telephone calls of the local Alcoholics Anonymous chapter, whose leaders did not understand why Ibqal no longer had an auditorium to rent them. He had been taken aback by Sue’s fury and the state of the teenagers, and had just...nodded along and smiled. He was doubtful this was the best course of action now, judging by the alarming (and matching!) shades of red that Mr. Hudson and Sue were turning. Coupled with what Puckerman had said and the fact that even  _ he _ could do that math, well… 

 

“Are you implying that you did something untoward to Miss Fabray?” He was getting a headache, and the sense that this meeting was about to devolve into something he couldn’t handle. 

 

“Wipe that smirk off your face,” Sue hissed, jabbing a finger in Puckerman’s chest. 

 

“I didn’t do anything ‘untoward’,” Puckerman said, the smirk remaining in place. “I just...loosened her up a bit. I was being a bro. I didn’t mean to knock her up. I  _ never _ use protection _. _ And so  _ what _ if those drinks were laced? How else would she have put out?”

 

Principal Figgins gaped. 

 

“Mr. Hudson,” he said, once he had regained the power of speech. “Please wait in my Secretary’s office. I will be contacting your mother, after…” He trailed off, gesturing to Mr. Puckerman. “You’re not going to be in trouble,” he told him, hoping that his smile came across as friendly and beatific, rather than the pained grimace he was just so sure he was sporting. “Coach Sylvester and I need to deal with this.” 

 

***

 

Finn let out a quiet sigh. “Anyways,” he told Quinn. “That’s what happened.” He reached out to pet her abdomen, his lips twitching in a slight, somewhat wistful, smile. “I  _ am _ sorry for beating him up,” he added, his eyes widening as Quinn took his hand in hers and lifted her -- well, technically  _ his _ \-- hoodie and t-shirt, placing their hands on her bare skin. “I know you didn’t want me to, and I think your wishes should have been respected.” Finn didn’t think Quinn’s wishes had been very respected the entire time she had been pregnant with his Drizzle-girl, and that made him feel sad for her and the baby. He wasn’t entirely blameless, of course. And he’d spend every day making it up to her if he could.

 

“It’s okay,” Quinn promised. “You were just defending us. We’re your family.”

 

Family. Finn liked the sound of that. He wanted so badly to be a good partner to Quinn and to (best of all) get to be Drizzle’s father, and it made him feel better when Quinn said nice things like that to him. Drizzle was swimming around inside of her mom, and he like...actually was touching Quinn’s belly and stuff like that. He’d  _ never _ done that before, it seemed like a violation to touch her bump without anything covering it when they hadn’t even had sex yet. He still thought it was the most amazing thing ever that Quinn was letting him. The blonde shifted in the chair beside him, and Finn worried his lower lip, frowning a bit. 

 

“Come here,” he instructed. “Sit on my lap, it’ll be more comfortable for you than the chair.” Finn was pleasantly surprised when Quinn took him up on his offer, but he wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “You two are  _ always _ gonna be my family.” he said. “I promise.”

 

“Even if she doesn’t look like you?” Quinn’s voice was small. 

 

“Yeah, of course.” 

 

Drizzle needed a dad, didn’t she? And if Quinn was keeping her, Finn definitely wanted to be her dad. He tugged Quinn closer to him, enjoying the feel of her wrapping her arms around him. His body was aching because of the fight with Puck, but her warmth was making him feel a little bit better. Not much, but it did help. 

 

“Thanks, Finn,” she murmured. “That means the world to me.” Drizzle kicked -- one of her hard kicks that Finn was growing to love so much -- and he knew that the baby was happy to hear him too. “Yes, that’s your daddy,” she confirmed. “You wanna say hi?”

 

“She always wants to say hi to me,” he teased, letting Drizzle flutter happily against his palm. “It’s cool, Drizzy,” he added. “Daddy doesn’t mind that you sleep late and stay up all night.”

 

“Mama does, though,” Quinn yawned. “She’s less nocturnal than your daddy.”

 

“You need to be good to Mama,” he told Drizzle. “You’re making her tired and cuddly.” Not that Finn had a problem with that, of course. He loved this version of Quinn, who was openly affectionate with him and was snuggling on his lap in relative public, but he was sure that Quinn wished she had some sort of energy and wasn’t being woken up at all hours of the night. “You know it’s cool with me if we share a room,” he said, his tone low. “I’d...I’d calm her down and stuff like that. And I would make sure you could sleep.”

 

“You’d let me share your room with you?” 

 

“I did before, yeah?”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Yeah? Cool.” He kissed her on the forehead. “Just so long as you don’t mind cowboy wallpaper.”

 

Quinn giggled. “I think Drizzle would like it.”

 

“My...uh, my dad picked it out for me,” Finn admitted, running his hand through his hair. “When he and my mom found out that I was a boy. Mom says that he was really excited and did it that day.” He sighed. “It would be cool if she liked it,” he added. “I don’t expect her to.”

 

“I didn’t know your dad picked it out for you,” Quinn said, and he watched her tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Do you miss him?”

 

“I don’t really remember him,” he said softly. “I used to be able to, when I was younger. But now, it’s…” He sighed. “It’s alright, Q. I just wish he’d come home. And it pisses me off that Mom is dating Kurt’s dad, because I think it’s like… disrespectful to my dad’s memory. First Dad  _ died _ and now she’s dating Kurt’s dad? I don’t like it.” He shook his head. “You think he’d be proud of me?” 

 

“Of course,” Quinn said. “Want to head home?”

 

Finn peered at her, blinking in confusion. “What?” Blinking hurt, Finn was quick to discover.

 

“Yeah,” she said. “We can head home, maybe cuddle for a bit, take a nap?” She pressed a kiss to his lips. “Maybe make out?” 

 

Finn Jr was making its opinion on Quinn’s proposition clear, and, well, if Finn was honest with himself he had no desire to go back to class or deal with Principal Figgins or whatever he would have to deal with. His mother would already be upset about the condition that his face was in. And there was Quinn to consider. He didn’t want the cops to like see she was there and question her and baby Drizzle about what had happened to them. Not yet, at least. Finn thought that his mom should at least be there. 

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Come on. I’ll carry you out to the car.”

  
  



	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurt scoffed. “You really are naive, aren’t you?”

Will couldn’t help but notice that his classroom was missing several of his glee club members, and he couldn’t help being somewhat relieved that the missing members were the most...currently contentious of the group. Sure, the inclusion of Finn Hudson in the Glee Club was entirely Will Schuester’s own doing, but he had had no idea that one easily deceived Quarterback would drag along his girlfriend, his miscreant of a best friend, and a whole heap of trouble. As far as he was concerned, Finn got what he’d deserved after he’d been an accessory to Quinn and Terri’s deception of him in regards to their child. He was certain that Emma would disapprove of his opinion on the innocence of the two teenagers, but Emma was gone and Will didn’t very much care if Finn got expelled for beating up Noah Puckerman. He didn’t think that Finn’s recently returned vitriol devoted to his fellow football player was entirely needed, and, well..it put the Glee Club in a bad light when their male lead was storming around the halls beating people up! Not to mention that Finn  _ had to  _ have known about Terri and Quinn’s plot to deceive him. There was no doubt in William Schuester’s mind that that innocent, oblivious, act, was a farce. 

 

“Where is Puck?” Will asked the assembled students. “Surely the nurse has patched him up by now.”

 

The choir room went silent, which was strange given that there had been active chattering about  _ something _ going on before he entered the room. 

 

Finally, just as Will was about to repeat his question, Rachel opened her mouth, looking - dare he say - somewhat abashed. “Puck isn’t going to be in rehearsal anymore,” she told him, looking very interested in looking at the pleats of her skirt versus looking him in the eyes. “I don’t think that he will be back for awhile, if ever.” 

 

“Just because Quinn and Finn are dating again?” His tone was one of disbelief. Honestly. He was allowed to have issues with the Quarterback and the former Head Cheerio, but Noah was essentially unaffected by their decision to ruin their lives and keep the baby. They were probably going to rub her in Will’s face, too. 

 

It was Mercedes that spoke next, from her position in between Kurt Hummel and Brittany Pierce. “We made a mistake,” she said, guilt written all over her features. “We thought that Quinn was just cheating on Finn. Purposely.” 

 

“He’s been arrested,” Kurt supplied, just as Will was about to demand Mercedes spit out whatever it was that she and Rachel were evading telling him. “I don’t know where Finn and Quinn are,” he continued. “I can imagine that they don’t feel comfortable going about their day at the school given the circumstances in which Noah was arrested.” The look he gave Will was downright chilling. “I certainly can’t imagine they would have felt comfortable attending rehearsal today, given how you’ve been treating them lately.” Will goggled. Kurt simply sighed. “Look, let me be frank with you. I am  _ completely _ unsurprised that you are letting your pity party about what your crazy wife did to  _ you _ get in the way of being an impartial educator towards your students, given how you  _ consistently _ allow me to be bullied and dumpster tossed in  _ front of you _ by Mr. Puckerman and his band of Netherandrals themselves. Your juvenile response towards your wife gaining access to your students and manipulating one of them to her own gain speaks volumes to me, as does the fact that you are so bad at hiding your feelings towards Finn and Quinn that even  _ Finn _ has noticed. Did it ever occur to you that you are not the first person in the world who has been lied to? That you shouldn’t be projecting your feelings about Mrs. Schuester and her actions on two teenagers who were doing what was best for their child? The fact that you missed your wife faking a pregnancy for months is not showing that you have good observational skills. And the fact that you think the teenage girl that she spent months  _ manipulating _ is the one at fault in this scenario is not impressive to me at all.” 

 

“Getting Puck arrested for getting Finn’s girlfriend pregnant was a  _ little _ over the top,” Will forced himself to interject. “And your comments about me are out of line.” 

 

“That’s not what Puck got arrested for.” Now  _ Santana _ of all people was contradicting him. “Puck slipped Quinn roofies and pretty much  _ raped _ her. And now she has that permanent reminder of that night tied to her for the rest of  _ eternity _ . And if you can’t see the problem with that you have  _ issues _ .” 

 

“We already know he has issues,” Kurt said, his tone filled with honey, his gaze innocent, and his eyes locked on Will. “You think I don’t know what you did to Finn? It was so  _ beyond _ inappropriate. Complete violation of student-teacher boundaries.” 

 

“It was just  _ pot _ . He was the one who picked Glee Club over detention!”

 

“I  _ meant _ the fact that you took him out to Breadstix instead of encouraging him to tell his mother about Quinn’s pregnancy,” Kurt said smoothly, the flash in his eyes reminding Will entirely too much of Burt Hummel. “But this is indeed an interesting development.”

 

“How did you hear about that?” 

 

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Are you serious? We went out to Breadstix with our parents and Finn told me that “your dad is way cooler to eat with here than Mr. Schue”. If you wanted Finn to keep it a secret you should have told him that.” He cleared his throat. “Tell me more about the pot.”

 

“It’s none of your concern!”

 

“I’ll just  _ ask _ Finn,” Kurt told him. “I’m sure when I mention this entire debacle he will be an open book.”

 

Will snorted. “He wouldn’t tell you. He doesn’t want to disappoint his mother.” The teacher was certain that that statement would settle the entire debacle. Honestly, Will thought to himself. So what if he’d made Finn feel that joining Glee Club was the only way that he wouldn’t let his mother down? It wasn’t as if the ends hadn’t justified the means, was it? Rachel hadn’t quit like she had threatened to do, and it wasn’t his fault that Finn had bought his football scholarship story. He  _ had _ offered him the option of detention instead. 

 

Kurt scoffed. “You really are naive, aren’t you?”

 

***

 

Finn’s mother was still at work when the two of them arrived home, and Quinn was really quite grateful for the absence of the older woman. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Mrs. Hudson, of course she liked her, she was Finn’s  _ mother _ , but rather the fact that she didn’t want to explain their presence at home in the middle of the day. The state of her boyfriend’s face would have been difficult to explain as well. Quinn was too emotionally spent to come up with a plausible explanation for Finn’s black eye and the growing bruise on his jaw  _ and _ a reason for them to be at home so early that didn’t involve the embarrassing disaster that was the truth. And Quinn was embarrassed. She would rather have been branded a horrible person that had cheated on Carole’s son that Finn was foolish enough to take back than someone whose child had been conceived  _ illegally _ . Quinn didn’t understand what was illegal about it, anyways. It was better for no one to know, and for no one to talk about it. 

 

“What’s the matter?” Quinn asked Finn warily, noticing that he had stopped in front of his fridge and seemed to be intently reading a note that his mother had left. “F-”

 

“ _ Burt _ is coming over,” he said, in a biting tone. “He and Kurt are going to come over and we’re all going to have a  _ family _ dinner. Some  _ family _ ,” he continued. “This is bullshit. I have a dad, I don’t need a new one.”

 

Quinn didn’t think that Carole had intended to hurt Finn so deeply with her comment, but it was obvious that the letter had touched him, and not in a good way. She was somewhat displeased with her boyfriend’s mother, though she tried her best to maintain a facade of neutrality. There was no point in getting Finn more upset with the situation. 

 

“I just think she wants them to meet me,” she settled on after a moment. “I wasn’t here when your mom started dating Burt, she probably just…” She trailed off, watching Finn’s face as his eyes filled with tears. “She wasn’t thinking, Finn,” she assured him. “I know you have a dad.”

 

“She wants me to forget all about him,” he said. “I’m surprised I’m even allowed to have his chair anymore or...I can’t be in this room. I can’t.”

 

It had been natural for Quinn to move into Finn’s room at the Hudsons’ when she had moved back in, especially given the simple fact that it had been the room that she was staying in when she’d lived there previously. Finn had been sleeping on the living room couch during round one of Quinn-at-Finn’s, but he had obviously moved back into his bed in her absence. He had offered to reclaim the couch -- and Quinn knew that he meant that offer -- but the blonde decided to try sleeping in the same bed as him. If they were going to be raising the baby together -- as a couple and as her parents -- it made sense to see if they could share a room. And what good would Finn be if he was stuck on the couch when their little Drizzle was finally there? She had expected to -- at best -- merely tolerate sharing Finn’s bed with him, but he had surprised her. He was respectful of her boundaries, and the bed was big enough to accommodate him, herself, and the bump. Which was why she found herself changing out of the clothes she’d worn to school that day and into a t-shirt of Finn’s and a pair of shorts while he was present, the sounds of his sobs providing a soundtrack to her removing her makeup and brushing out her hair. 

 

“You want to tell me more about your dad?” Quinn offered Finn in a quiet tone. “You can, if you want.”    
  


Finn shook his head, which was buried against her pregnancy pillow, and Quinn bit back a sigh. She didn’t like when Finn was upset -- Lord knew it was downright refreshing it wasn’t a direct result of something she’d done that time -- and it broke her heart to hear his broken sobs, barely muffled. She kept stroking his hair, climbing up onto his mattress, wanting to get comfortable while she comforted her boyfriend. 

 

“I was thinking that we could name Drizzle after him,” she said after a few moments, her hand moving from Finn’s scalp to rub his neck. “Your dad. I mean...if you wanted to.” 

 

The thought about naming the baby  _ anything _ had not occurred to Quinn until fairly recently, given her decision to give her up for adoption and all, but the fact that Finn was clearly upset about his father gave her an opportunity to broach the subject of non-Drizzle baby names. She hoped that he wouldn’t be offended by her suggestion. Obviously they couldn’t name Drizzle Christopher, but she was certain that there were similar names that he’d like well enough. 

 

“Drizzle’s a girl,” she heard him say, though the pillow muffled his voice. Still, Quinn was hopeful that Finn might have stopped crying for the moment when his hand inched up her leg to her thigh, squeezing it lightly. 

 

“I know,” she assured him. “There are girls’ names similar to Christopher.” 

 

“That would be cool,” Finn murmured. He pressed the hand that had been on her thigh to her abdomen. “Can I look at your bump?” 

 

Quinn really wasn’t comfortable with her changing body, and part of her wanted to loudly object. But the other part reminded her that Finn was going through a tough time, and he wasn’t the one that had violated her, so she nodded in agreement to his question. 

 

“You’ll need to lock the door,” she insisted, not wanting anyone to walk in on them. No one was home, but Quinn didn’t want to risk it. “But, yes.”

 

Once Finn had locked his bedroom door, Quinn slipped out of her t-shirt and stood there in front of him in her bra and shorts, her ever-growing baby bump on full display. She felt a bit like a whale. Finn was worth it, however, and the look of wonder and awe that came over her boyfriend’s face made her feel less insecure about the step they were taking in their relationship. 

 

She took his hand and pressed it to her bare skin, smiling up at him. 

 

“She might kick, you know, if you interact with her,” she reminded him gently. She tugged on the hem of his polo, a smirk dancing on her lips. “I would like this to come off.” 

 

Quinn did not know what had gotten into her, but she  _ liked _ the look in Finn’s eyes as he took in her half naked body, and she  _ liked _ the slight bulge that she could see in his pants, and she wanted Finn to take his shirt off so she could...explore things she’d never explored before. She supposed that she was feeling frisky with her pregnancy hormones. It made sense. Finn’s eyes were wide. 

 

“Yeah,” he said, licking his lips. “It’ll come off.” He slipped out of his shirt, the t-shirt he’d layered underneath joining the polo on the floor in an unceremonial heap. He stood in front of her, clad only in his jeans (and boxers and socks, naturally), and she let out a quiet meep of surprise when he lifted her up, kissing her firmly on the lips. “What’s gotten into you?” He said in a sultry tone, depositing her back on the floor and caressing her belly, an action that caused Drizzle to reward him with a kick. Quinn could see Finn light up at the motion from their little one, and his gaze immediately turned to her bump, which contained the now wide awake Drizzle Hudson. “Hey, girlie,” he cooed, surprising Quinn as he squatted down to be on the baby’s level. Of course, Finn was very tall, which she supposed would make his interaction with the baby more of a challenge, but she was still surprised. “Daddy’s here, I got you. I’m never going to leave, Drizzle, I promise. Not that I have the chance to keep you and  _ really _ be your daddy. And teach you things and kiss your boo boos and make them all better.” It tickled as Finn started peppering kisses all over her bare skin, and, if Quinn was honest, his actions sort of turned her on a bit. She was mortified by the fact that she was getting turned on, but what could she do?

 

Drizzle decided to respond to one of Finn’s kisses by kicking him hard, and Finn grinned dazedly up at her, pressing his ear to the spot the baby was kicking. “You’re silly,” he said. “I know you wish you could kiss me back, but I love your kicks just as much.” 

 

“She’s trying to cheer you up,” Quinn said. “She knows you were sad earlier.”

 

“Aw, Q, it’s okay,” he murmured. “I’ll be alright. She doesn’t need to worry about that.” He reached up and squeezed her hand. “You don’t need to worry about that either.” Finn’s lashes fluttered shut, but it was his black eye that caught Quinn’s notice.

 

“You need an ice pack,” she said decisively. “I’ll go get you one.” 

 

“I can get it, babe,” Finn said. “You should just relax, yeah? Maybe we could nap together with your boss pillow.” 

 

“You like my pillow, don’t you?” Quinn teased, a smirk on her face. It seemed like Finn cuddled with it whenever he got a chance. “A nap does sound nice, though.” 

  
  



	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The way that Puck had spoken about Quinn and the baby was, quite frankly, deplorable. (Finn had looked up that word in the dictionary after Rachel had apologized for calling him that after the Vitamin D incident.) He couldn’t imagine talking about Drizzle that way, or Quinn, even when he’d been really really angry about the baby not being his baby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for the prompt 'probably' in LuxKen27's Summer Prompt Challenge 2018.

If Finn was honest with himself, his eye did kill, but it had been worth it to defend Quinn and their little girl. He could deal with a black eye and a bruised jaw if it meant that someone that could actually do something had found out about Puck and actually done something, even if that person  _ was _ Coach Sylvester. The way that Puck had spoken about Quinn and the baby was, quite frankly, deplorable. (Finn had looked up that word in the dictionary after Rachel had apologized for calling him that after the Vitamin D incident.) He couldn’t imagine talking about Drizzle that way, or Quinn, even when he’d been really really angry about the baby not being his baby. He’d gotten mad, yeah, but he hadn’t said  _ those things _ . He felt bad enough about the things he had said about Quinn and Drizzle, things he hoped that the little girl hadn’t heard him say. Because, he did love her. Even if she would never look like him or be anything like him or whatever. He loved her in spite of that. It wasn’t Drizzle’s fault Puck was a dickbag or that Quinn hadn’t slept with him, Drizzle needed a father and if Quinn wanted Finn to be her father, Finn was never going to say no. 

 

Quinn was tucked in beside him, head pillowed against his chest, and he carefully put his arms around her, holding her close. He didn’t want to wake her up -- she looked so peaceful and all of the baby websites said that she and the baby would need sleep -- so he avoided touching her abdomen, no matter how curious he was as to whether Drizzle was awake or not. Drizzle was up even later than Finn was sometimes, which was development that he was curious with. It was cool that the baby wanted to stay up with him at night, even though poor Drizzle was obviously confused if she was acting like him. He wasn’t going to tell her. 

 

Finn was sort of embarrassed by his outburst earlier that day about Burt and Kurt coming over for dinner, though. He knew that Mr. Hummel made his mom happy and he guessed that it would be nice that he wanted to get to know Quinn, given that she and Drizzle were important to him. They  _ were _ important to him. He couldn’t wait to be a dad and he could see himself marrying Quinn one day, once they were graduated from high school and everything. He wanted Drizzle to be a Hudson, at the very least. He thought that that would be cool. If Quinn agreed he was going to order the baby a football jersey that looked like his. But baby sized. He was pretty sure that Drizzle could wear one, even if she was a Drizzle and not a dude. 

 

He couldn’t resist ghosting his palm over her side, grinning widely as Quinn simply shifted closer to him, sighing contently in her sleep. Sleep sounded good to him, at least, for as long as Quinn was comfortable. He hoped that she was. Or at least...as comfortable as she could be. The book that Finn had started reading about pregnancy had been pretty eye-opening. Apparently the baby was more than just feeling her kick and seeing her on the ultrasound screen, not that those weren’t super cool. But, apparently, little Drizzle and being preggers were more than that. 

 

He stifled a yawn. He couldn’t wait to get to hold the baby and show her his room with the cowboy wallpaper that his dad had picked out for him when he was a little baby, just like little Drizzle was going to be in a few short months. He wondered what his dad would have thought of Drizzle. He hoped that he would have liked her. It sucked that they’d never be able to meet. 

 

Finn thought it was nice that Quinn wanted to name Drizzle after his dad. She might not have looked like him, he thought to himself, but she would at least have that. He yawned again, tugging the comforter over the two (three) of them, before drifting off.

 

“Daddy’s sleeping,” Finn heard Quinn say as he found himself abruptly woken from a deep sleep due to the fact that Drizzle had taken it upon herself to start kicking -- hard -- and Finn’s arm had taken the brunt of the Drizzle attack. “You don’t want to wake him up.” She was clearly trying to admonish the baby, who had decided to keep kicking and ignore her mother. He smirked.

 

“It’s cool,” he said, still not entirely awake. “She’s a pretty sweet alarm clock.” 

 

His girlfriend was roughly the shade of a lobster, and he propped himself up to kiss her on the lips. “It’s okay, babe,” he promised. “She wanted to say hi.” He kissed Quinn softly, pressing his hands to her abdomen, rubbing circles with the pads of his thumbs. Drizzle was happy to oblige her father with some nudges in response. “Wonder what she gets up to in there.” 

 

“I think she’s growing,” Quinn said. “Making me look gigantic.”

 

“You’re beautiful.” He kissed her again, taking his hands from her bump and running them down her sides. “You’re not gigantic. I think you’re so sexy.”

 

“You do?” 

 

“Yeah,” he promised. “The sexiest.” He could feel his erection straining against his boxers, and he shifted uncomfortably, hoping Quinn wouldn’t notice. He didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable, given what had happened to her, and given that they were practically naked in bed together. “That’s our  _ baby _ ,” he stressed, taking her hands in his and kissing her once more. “You’re pregnant, babe. That’s so hot to me.”

 

Impulsively, he tugged her onto his lap, sure that she would notice how turned on he was getting, but deciding that he didn’t really mind. If it freaked her out, he’d just think of the mailman. 

 

***

 

Quinn was taken by surprise when Finn told her that he still found her attractive with the gigantic bump that seemed to grow more and more by the day, but she was flattered that he still thought she was sexy. The old Quinn would have been appalled at Finn’s use of the word, but new Quinn was...tolerant of it. It was sweet, at least, especially when he was being affectionate with the baby and affectionate with her, and she was so grateful he hadn’t been upset with her or Drizzle when the baby had woken him up.

 

“Is  _ that _ because of me?” Quinn found herself asking, settling back on Finn’s lap in spite of the growing tent in his boxers. “I really do that for you?”

 

“Course you do, babe,” he said, looping his arms around her. “Always.”

 

She was going to blame the baby for the surge of hormones that were making her think that he was  _ incredibly _ hot for saying that. 

 

“You know I’m not ready, right?” Quinn forced herself to admit, the intrusive reality of the fact that she  _ wasn’t _ ready, at least not emotionally, making itself at home in her mind. “I don’t know when I’ll ever be ready,” she admitted, her voice quiet, hoping her admittance wouldn’t hurt his feelings. 

 

“It’s okay,” he whispered, squeezing her shoulders. “I didn’t expect you to be.” 

 

“You’re not mad?” 

 

Finn shook his head. “No, of course I’m not,” he said. “I’m not that guy, Q. I don’t wanna pressure you. I can wait.”

 

“I’m still sorry.” 

 

“You don’t have to be sorry,” he whispered, and Quinn felt him rub his hands down her back. “I told you, Q. I’ll wait forever. I just want you and our girl to feel safe, and be happy.” He nuzzled her neck. “I think she likes me, she didn’t like that I was sleeping.” 

 

Quinn suspected that Finn was somewhat disappointed that he would not be getting any action from her that afternoon, but she wisely elected to take the out that he was providing her, shifting in his arms. Their little girl was wiggling contently, sensing her proximity to Finn, and Quinn shifted herself closer to him, laying her head on his bare chest. 

 

“Of course she didn’t like that we were sleeping,” she teased. “She wanted to play.” 

 

Finn tugged her closer to him. 

 

“I’m down with that.”

 

Quinn let out a sigh. “It’s not going to go away, is it?” 

 

“What?”

 

“What Puck did to me, what happened today at school, that’s not going to go away,” she said flatly. “I’m going to be even more of a joke than I already am. Everyone already stares at me, Finn. Now they’re going to think that I am even more of a social leper.” She shook her head. “I don’t care what they think about me, but I don’t want them treating the baby any differently. She didn’t ask for this, she didn’t ask to be conceived how she was, she’s  _ innocent _ . And everyone keeps staring at me.” She dabbed roughly at her eyes. “Even the teachers are.”

 

“They don’t deserve you,” he said. “And if they’re going to be running their mouths about you, or her, they’re going to answer to me.” 

 

“You can’t beat up  _ everyone _ , Finn,” she said. 

 

“Of course I can,” he chirped. “I would if it came down to it.”

 

“I don’t  _ want _ you to beat up everyone,” she hastily amended. “No matter how angry you get. You’re going to be a father, you need to be thinking of what would be best for Drizzle.” She kissed him gently. “I know you’re thinking of what’s best for her,” she added. “I’m very proud.” Drizzle kicked, seeming to agree. “You’ve...even just letting us move back in would have been more than enough.”

 

“I love you. I should have never let you go.”

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What do you say, boo?” He asked, leaning over the table. “You want to double up with Finn and Quinn?”
> 
> Brittany blinked. “I...like a date?” She was pretty sure that Kurt was Capital G Gay, at least, that was why Santana had taken him off her perfect record list.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for the prompt "different"

“It’s okay, Finn,” Quinn assured him, running her hand down his arm and lightly squeezing his bicep. “I don’t think you need to be sorry,” she said. “You’re here for us now.” 

 

“You’re sure it’s enough,” he whispered. She nodded. “Okay, then,” he said. “I only ever wanted to be enough for you.” 

 

“You are,” she promised. She kissed him gently on the lips. “You’re good enough for me, and for our daughter.”

 

Quinn didn’t doubt for a moment that their little girl wouldn’t be appreciative of what Finn had done for her, once she was old enough to realize what a sacrifice raising another man’s child was. If she even found out. Quinn hoped that she wouldn’t. They didn’t  _ have _ to tell her, did they? The thought of little Drizzle knowing that she was Noah Puckerman’s daughter made Quinn’s stomach churn uncomfortably. She thought she might be sick. Not literally, but it was not a comforting thought to the blonde.

 

“What’s wrong?” Finn asked, moving his hand from her thigh to her bump, a contemplative look on his face. “What are you up to in there?” He directed to the baby, and Quinn saw his eyes light up as their baby responded, kicking for Finn in a rather demonstrative way. 

 

“I’m just thinking,” she said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I’m okay.  _ We’re _ okay.” 

 

“She’s pretty active,” he commented, the excitement in his eyes refusing to dim. “She must like me, like, a whole lot. I love you, Drizzle,” he said, moving his hand around against the taut surface of her skin. “I love you and I love your mom, more than you’ll ever know.” Finn pressed a kiss to her belly. 

 

“She doesn’t  _ like _ you, Finn,” Quinn corrected, her tone gentle. “She loves you. You’re her dad.”

 

“I know I am,” he whispered, his brown eyes wide with happiness. “No matter what happens, I’ll be her dad. I promise.”

 

“I know.” 

 

Drizzle kicked. She knew too. 

 

“I think that you might have to talk to, you know, the cops or whatever,” Finn continued, sounding rather guilty, his gaze downcast. “I didn’t mean for everyone to find out what Puck did to you to get us Drizzle, it just...happened.” 

 

“It’s okay, Finn,” she said. She was strong, and she could deal with speaking to the police about what happened to her, even though she really wanted the entire thing to go away. “It was bound to come out eventually.”

 

“It sucks that you’re gonna have to, though,” he mumbled. “I don’t want you and baby Drizzle to be stressed out or anything. That’s not good for the baby.” 

 

“It will be fine,” she promised. She didn’t know if it would really be fine, but it seemed like the thing to say. “As long as we’ll have you.”   
  


“Yeah, of course,” he said. “As long as you’ll have me.”

 

She ruffled the taller teen’s hair, pressing a kiss on the top of his forehead. Finn was really so sweet, Quinn thought to herself, watching as her boyfriend ministrated affections to her growing baby bump, clearly wanting to take advantage of the step that Quinn had taken. Drizzle seemed all too willing to let Finn engage her by blowing raspberries against her temporary home and peppering Quinn’s skin with kisses. It was clear to Quinn that Drizzle loved her dad, whether Finn was willing to not dwell on his insecurities or not. 

 

“We’ll always have you,” she said, running her fingers down his sides, shifting so that he could have the space he needed to curl up with her, her blonde hair splayed over his pillow, her pregnancy pillow moved to the side. At that moment, all Quinn needed was Finn. “We don’t have to tell her, you know,” she mused. “You can just...be her dad. No one else.”

 

“She doesn’t  _ need _ to know?” He whispered, pecking a kiss above her navel. “You’re sure?”   
  


“Yeah,” Quinn said. “I’m sure.”

 

“I just want to be her dad, then,” he said, and Quinn heard him sigh with relief before he pressed his ear to her belly once more. “The best dad ever.” 

 

She smiled. 

  
  


***

  
  


Brittany S. Pierce was still confused about the events that had taken place during Glee by the time Math class came around, and she found herself sitting with Kurt. That wasn’t the confusing part. Brittany and Kurt  _ always _ sat together. It was just that, well, they usually sat with Finn and Quinn, neither of whom Brittany had seen since Puck and Finn had gotten into that fight about the  _ baby _ . Brittany didn’t understand why they were fighting, really. It seemed stupid to fight over the baby -- Brittany liked dressing babies up like little dolls, but she was quite willing to let Finn get his way on  _ living _ with the baby. And Quinn. 

 

Kurt seemed to be in a bad mood, she noted. She wondered if he  _ also _ wanted to be Drizzle’s dad. Brittany thought that Finn would be persuaded to share Drizzle with Kurt, if he really wanted to. She was dubious that her favorite kicker would sleep with Finn’s girlfriend and ruin her life. Maybe like a nap? Brittany wrinkled her nose. She didn’t see what the big deal was. 

 

“Did Quinn have the baby?” She asked Kurt. It wasn’t like Quinn was super fat or anything, and Brittany didn’t think that she’d been pregnant long enough to have the stork come, but there was no other explanation for the blonde’s absence. “Maybe that’s where she and Finn are,” she deduced, feeling brilliant. She’d figured it out. “Maybe they’re meeting their stork!”   
  


Kurt looked as if it was possible he was getting a headache. He had that look on his face that Mr. Schue had had earlier that day, when Rachel had said all those confusing things about Puckers. She didn’t understand why everyone thought Drizzle was a bad thing. Sure, Quinn had to live with Finn and his mom now, but Brittany thought that it was nice. Rachel saying that Puck had been arrested had thrown her for a loop. And Quinn hadn’t been answering her texts, so maybe she  _ was _ pushing her ‘demon spawn’ (that was what Coach Sylvester called Drizzle, despite Brittany telling her so many times that Finn and Quinn weren’t naming the baby  _ Demon Spawn _ ) out, which was what the internet said happened when people had babies. At least. According to Finn.

 

Brittany had  _ told _ the Quarterback that the stork brought people babies, but he seemed determined to not listen to her warnings. 

 

“I don’t think they’re meeting the stork, Brittany,” Kurt said after a moment of silence. “I think they’re skipping school.”

 

She contemplated this. It was nice that Kurt believed in the stork, she wondered if he could convince Finn that it wasn’t something stupid that Brittany had made up. But at the same time...it was weird that Quinn and Finn were skipping school. Quinn would  _ never _ skip out on school, it was so unlike the former Cheerio (hence Brittany noticing her absence), and Finn...well, ever since he had heard about baby Drizzle he had been following Quinn around like a puppy. A...tall puppy, Brittany amended. Like Scooby Doo! 

 

Yes, she thought happily to herself, Finn was totally Scooby Doo. Which made...no, she paused, shaking her head at her inner thoughts. Quinn would kill her if she compared her to Shaggy. 

 

“You really think that they’re okay?” 

 

Kurt let out a sigh. Brittany took that as an invitation to continue rambling. “It’s just that…”

 

“They’re  _ fine _ ,” Kurt muttered, and Brittany sensed a tinge of bitterness in his tone. “They’re probably at Finn’s house, playing happy family.” 

 

“It’s Quinn’s house, too,” she said, putting away her math workbook and taking out the new box of crayons Santana had brought to school for her the other day, pulling out her new coloring book as well. If Quinn wasn’t going to show up for school, she couldn’t expect Brittany to even pretend to care about math. She may as well spend the class period coloring. “She lives there now, because her mom and dad don’t love her anymore. But  _ Finn _ loves her and he loves little Drizzle, so they live at  _ his _ house.”

 

Honestly, she thought to herself, it was like Kurt didn’t understand. Which was just sad because he was Finn’s friend and wasn’t it his job to know that stuff? She worried her lip as she began to color a picture of a duck, wondering if the baby would like it. She didn’t think Quinn would want her having a  _ real _ duck, but it was possible.

 

“Isn’t that lovely for Quinn?” The tone he used was biting, but she definitely agreed that it was lovely for Quinn. “She gets the guy...and I get no one.”

 

“You don’t have no one, Kurt,” she said. “You have me.”

 

The expression on his face was one of amusement at first, but it turned to a thoughtful one before Brittany could get out a laugh. 

 

“What do you say, boo?” He asked, leaning over the table. “You want to double up with Finn and Quinn?”

 

Brittany blinked. “I...like a date?” She was pretty sure that Kurt was Capital G Gay, at least, that was why Santana had taken him off her perfect record list. 

 

“My Dad and I are going to dinner at the Hudsons’ tonight,” Kurt told her. “I want you to come along.” 

 

She thought about saying no, before remembering that Quinn had told her baby Drizzle had started to kick, and Brittany wanted to feel the baby  _ so badly _ that dinner with Finn and his mom and Kurt and his dad seemed like a small price to pay, despite her confusion over Kurt’s sudden non Capital G ness. Quinn could probably explain Kurt to her without hurting her feelings, she decided. Plus it would be mean to expect Kurt to go to dinner all alone if everyone else had a date.

 

“Yeah,” she heard herself say. “Sure, I’ll go with you.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for the prompt 'feel'

“What are you doing?” Quinn asked, and Finn was pleased to hear that her tone was one of curiosity and not annoyance, as he got the boxes of stuff that he’d deemed (or rather Puck had deemed) too young for him, out from under his bed. He didn’t think that the toys he had played with as a kid were young enough for the little girl inside of Quinn, but he thought maybe he could read the baby some of the picture books that were tucked away. It was important for Drizzle to have the most knowledge that they could give her, and, well, to be honest, Finn missed reading picture books. He suspected Quinn wouldn’t mind him reading them to the baby.

 

“I want to start reading to her,” he said, rejoining her on his bed once he’d dragged the boxes out. “Mom used to read these to me as a kid,” he said. “I was hoping we could read them with her? Together?”   
  


“Yeah, of course we can,” Quinn agreed, brushing a kiss against his lips. “We can do whatever you want, okay? I think it’s really sweet that you want to read to her.”

 

Finn could tell Quinn was nervous, probably about both the stupid ‘family’ dinner and because of douchebag Puck getting arrested - he was sure she’d need to talk to the police eventually. Which was just lame. He really didn’t know how to make her feel better. The dinner with Mr. Hummel and Kurt was one thing, but he knew that talking to the cops and maybe having to see Puck again was not what Quinn wanted to spend her time doing. Whether she wanted to admit it or not. He wasn’t sorry that he had gotten Puck arrested (Finn was only sorry he hadn’t killed him), but he was sorry that his two favorite girls would have to deal with the aftermath. 

 

“Want me to be there when you talk to them?” He offered, sitting sideways so she could lean against him. “I don’t mind, I swear.”

 

“If they let you be there,” Quinn said, accepting his embrace. “I’d like that. So much.”

 

“I want to be there, for you, for our  _ daughter _ ,” he stressed, taking Quinn’s hands in his. Finn had never been more serious about anything in his life. Quinn and Drizzle, they were  _ it _ for him. Nothing would ever change that. No matter how hard people tried to change his feelings. “And I’d never make you confront what happened to you alone, okay?”   
  


“I know, Finn,” she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “This wasn’t your fault.”

 

“It wasn’t yours, either,” he said. “I know you think it was but it wasn’t.” He leaned over to kiss her again. “I promise.”

 

“Maybe one day I’ll believe you,” she said, sighing quietly. “We should get ready.” 

 

“What’s there to get ready for?” He queried. If Quinn thought he was making an effort for Burt, she had another thing coming. As if sensing Finn’s inner thoughts, the blonde fixed him with a glare. 

 

“I need to shower,” she said flatly. “You’re welcome to join me if you’d like, but you don’t have to.”

 

“You want me to join you?” He wasn’t going to turn that down. “Yeah, of course. I’ll join you.”

 

“Just to shower,” Quinn said firmly. “Maybe a little making out.” She brushed her lips against his. “I’m sorry, Finn, I’m not ready to go further.”   
  
“Hey,” he said, cupping her chin in his hands. “Don’t apologize. You don’t ever have to apologize. I don’t care if you’re  _ ever _ ready to have sex, okay? I wouldn’t blame you if you weren’t.” Finn pressed a kiss to her forehead, tenderly wiping the tears from her eyes. “Q, whatever you want to give me, I will happily accept.” 

 

It was true that Finn eventually  _ wanted _ to have sex and maybe way off in the future give little baby Drizzle sisters or brothers that would really look like him and Quinn, but he was willing to be patient with her and wasn’t planning on forcing the blonde to do anything she didn’t want to do. He wasn’t that kind of guy. It was important to him that he respect his girlfriend, and her boundaries, and be the type of guy that his mom always wanted him to be. It wasn’t that Finn often set out to be a jerk, far from it, but sometimes he managed to do so anyways. He probably didn’t truly deserve Quinn, or their baby, but he was going to try his hardest. So, that meant no sex until Quinn was ready. He’d always be ready. 

 

“I just…” Quinn trailed off, gazing down at her bump. 

 

“I’ve always been willing to wait for you,” he whispered, taking her hand in his. “I know how important waiting was to you.” 

 

“That’s sweet of you, Finn,” she said, linking her fingers through his. “I really love you.”   
  
He smirked. “I know.”

  
  


***

  
  


“Are you sure you want to do this?” Brittany asked Kurt, peering at him with bewilderment. Sure, being bewildered was normally Brittany’s typical state, but this was strange, even by her standards. Kurt was standing in front of her wearing overalls and flannel, and the effect on him was sort of...Brittany hated to admit it, but it was amusing. Not that Brittany  _ wanted _ to laugh at Kurt, but… “Because, I will totes go see Quinn on my own,” she assured him. “You could go on your own, with your dad,” she continued, trying to explain in simple terms, so that Kurt would understand how very strange Brittany found their current situation to be, “and I could go later...with Santana...or Lord Tubbington.”

 

“I told you, boo,” he said, linking his fingers with hers. “You’re my girlfriend, of course you should come. It will be like a triple date.” 

 

It wasn’t that Brittany didn’t think triple dates were fun (of course Brittany thought they were fun, her definition of a triple date was her, Santana, and their latest victim, though she sensed that this was a triple date of a more traditional sense); she was just -- it was  _ weird _ that Kurt wanted to date her. She was determined to obtain her perfect record, since he had proven willing, but Santana seemed  _ convinced _ that Brittany was a beard. Whatever that meant. She had spent the time that Kurt had spent getting changed using his at home waxing kits to ensure that she did not in fact have a beard, or any unneeded hair at all, and had resolved to figure out what exactly her best friend had meant by the comment. Plus...well, Brittany had only met Kurt’s dad and Finn’s mom a few times, and she had  _ never _ gone on a double date with them, but the last time she’d gone on a double date with Finn and Quinn, the blonde had spent the  _ whole _ movie blubbering into Finn’s chest. It had completely distracted either half of the couple from Brittany and Santana’s sweet lady kisses. Not that Santana had minded. 

 

It had made Brittany sad that Quinn was sad, though, but the other blonde had explained that it was  _ Drizzle _ making her sad, not the movie. Quinn had continued explaining to Brittany the intricacies of pregnancy, but she had moved on to pondering why Finn had named what Santana told her was the basketball Quinn was smuggling under her shirt. She knew that he was captain of the basketball team, but Brittany thought it was still strange. 

 

She had figured out on her own that Drizzle was a  _ baby _ , not a basketball, and had been about to explain that to Santana when Kurt had appeared earlier that day. Poor Santana, Brittany thought. So confused.

 

But, Kurt  _ was _ holding her hand. That did feel nice. And Brittany  _ did _ want to feel Drizzle kick. 

 

She nodded her head. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll go with you.” 

Kurt brushed a kiss to her cheek. “Thanks, boo.”

 

“You’re welcome,” she preened. It  _ was _ nice to be thanked. “Are we waiting for your dad...or…?”   
  


“I thought we’d meet him there,” he said. “We can hang out with Quinn and Finn while we wait.”

 

She couldn’t help squeal, though she noticed that Kurt’s expression was more on the lines of pained grimace. She decided not to pay it any mind. Quinn would  _ totally _ let Brittany feel Drizzle the baby basketball if she asked nicely, Brittany just  _ knew _ it. And if they were hanging out  _ before _ Finn’s mom and Kurt’s dad came home, well, she would only have to share with Finn. Brittany didn’t think that Kurt shared her excitement about the baby, which did make her sad. But she was accepting of the benefit of extra baby kicks as a result. 

 

The car ride to Finn’s house was filled with music that Kurt insisted was sung by a cougar, no matter how many times she told him that cougars were women that Puck had slept with before he had gotten to have that ride in the police car. Brittany knew that that probably meant that Puck had gotten lost, or that he had lost something, as she herself had gotten many rides home from the police, usually when her parents had realized she was missing. Missing was a harsh word. Brittany prefered the term wandering. She really hadn’t understood much about the conversation at the glee club meeting earlier, if she was honest, just that Mr. Schue had been  _ really _ mean about Quinn and Finn. Like, meaner even than Coach Sylvester was. 

 

She didn’t like that. He was their teacher. He had to be nice. 

 

“Doesn’t Mr. Schue like Drizzle?” She asked Kurt nervously, smoothing down the pleats of her Cheerios skirt. “He was mean in class today.”

 

“Things are...complicated, Brittany,” her totally-fake-boyfriend replied, eyes focused on the road. “You understand, don’t you?”

 

Brittany was saved from answering when Kurt pulled to a stop in front of the Hudsons’ house. She knew where it was because she and Finn had been going to school together since elementary school, and the two of them were friends of a sort even then. She waited until the car slowed to a stop and slipped out of the vehicle, bouncing happily down the driveway, ringing the doorbell, before waiting patiently for someone to answer it. When Quinn did, she looked the happiest that Brittany had seen her in a long time, which made Brittany happy too. Her friend wasn’t wearing her uniform anymore (Quinn had been allowed to keep them because Coach thought taking them back would encourage teen pregnancy, but Brittany hadn’t seen her in them since school yearbook picture day), and the t-shirt and yoga pants were sort of casual for a triple date, but Quinn was smiling and she really did have that glow around her. 

 

“I didn’t know you were coming by,” Quinn said, and Brittany sensed by her tone that she had said it previously as well, leaning against the doorframe as she did. 

 

“Yes, I came with Kurt,” she said, gesturing to the flannel clad Cheerio, who was slouching as he walked down the driveway. “He says we’re dating now,” she told Quinn. Quinn blinked. “I think he’s being ridiculous.”

 

“I --”

 

“Can I say hi to the baby?” She queried. “She kicks, doesn’t she?”

  
  


***

  
  


Quinn felt like she was in an episode of the  _ Twilight Zone _ , as Brittany excitedly chattered on about...well Quinn had tuned out roughly the second she’d gotten her eyes locked on Kurt, though she had taken pity on the dancer and placed her hand on her bump, where Drizzle was happily swimming around, oblivious to anything but the attention she’d been getting the entire day. She supposed that she could indulge Brittany’s desire to say hello to her unborn daughter, at least for a little bit. 

 

“You like the baby, don’t you, Britt?” She asked, pleased when Britt eagerly nodded. Quinn was happy that one of her friends was fond of Drizzle. “She likes you too.”

 

Kurt walked past the two of them and into the house, obviously in a foul mood, shoving -- well, Quinn suspected it had been intended a shove, but in a battle of Finn and Kurt, it was more of a love tap -- past her approaching boyfriend. “Dude!” Finn exclaimed. Drizzle kicked, quite forcefully, in response to the shout. 

 

“She kicked for me,” Brittany breathed, her eyes wide, before pulling her hands away from Quinn’s bump and pulling the surprised blonde into a hug. “She must love me.”   
  


“Of course she does,” she said soothingly. “You’re her Auntie Britt. She’s very lucky to have you.”

 

It was the right thing to say, even if the baby was kicking strongly because of Finn, who had come up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, gently tugging her out of Brittany’s grip and into his. Brittany beamed at the two of them, clearly touched by being referred to as Auntie Britt. 

 

“What’s  _ his _ problem?” Finn asked her in a low tone, whispering in Quinn’s ear. “What’s  _ she _ doing here?”

 

“ _ Apparently _ , Kurt and Brittany are dating,” she said, leaning against him as his hands rubbed her abdomen, soothing the baby and her various aches and pains. She hummed contentedly as he rubbed the small of her back, not wanting him to stop, not caring that Brittany was still giving them an audience. Who knew that sweet, clumsy, Finn had the magic touch when it came to massages? Quinn certainly hadn’t. 

 

“Dating? But why? I thought he liked dudes?” 

 

She was going to chastise Finn for being insensitive, but Brittany was happily nodding in agreement with the taller teen, therefore ruining Quinn’s lecture on respecting others or at least not blurting out things at the top of Finn’s lungs whenever he was confused. 

 

“Santana says I must be his beard,” Brittany said. “I don’t get it, though. If any one of us was going to be Kurt’s beard, wouldn’t it be you, Finn? You  _ have _ a beard.”

 

“That isn’t what a beard is,” Quinn told them, not wanting Finn to shave off the stubble he’d grown over the course of the time they’d been back together in a sort of gay panic. Quinn thought it was sexy, and she was not going to have Finn remove it because of Brittany, or rather, because of Santana’s comment. “A beard is someone that a person dates to hide their sexuality.” She took Brittany’s hand in hers, not wanting to hurt her. “I think that Santana might be right, sweetie.”

 

“That’s okay,” Brittany said. “I only wanted to make my perfect record even more perfect. And maybe convince Mr. Stork to bring me a super fashionable baby, that way Drizzle can have a friend and I won’t have to quit Cheerios!”

 

“Uh--” Quinn elbowed Finn before he could reply and shoot down Brittany’s dreams about the stork, as she plastered a fake smile on her face.

 

“Britt, sweetie, why don’t you and Kurt...go watch television or something? Finn and I need to talk.” 


End file.
